General elections were held in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

in 1947. The

Nigerian National Democratic Party The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) was the first political party in Nigeria. The party was active in Lagos and was supported by the Lagos Daily Newspaper. History The NNDP was founded in on 24 June 1923 by Herbert Macaulay, the part ...

(NNDP) won three of the four elected seats in the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

Electoral system

The elections were the first and only elections to be held under the 1946 constitution introduced by Governor Arthur Richards. There were few changes to the electoral system created by the 1922 constitution; the number of elected members remained at four (three from

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

and one from

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...

), and the only significant reform was the reduction in the annual income qualification for voters from £100 to £50. The number of official members was reduced from 27 to 16, and included the Governoer, 13 ex officio members (the Chief Secretary, the Chief Commissioners of the three provinces, the Attorney General, the Financial Secretary, the Directors of Agriculture, Education, Medical Services and Public Works, the Development Secretary and the Commissioners of Labour and of the Colony) and three nominated officials (senior residents in

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...

and Oyo provinces and a resident from

British Cameroons British Cameroons or British Cameroon was a British Empire, British League of Nations mandate, mandate territory in British West Africa, formed of the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of the Bor ...

. However, the number of appointed unofficials was increased from 15 to 24, with nine members from the

Northern Provinces The Northern Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "TVL". It includes the ...

(the Emirs of

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

Gwandu Gwandu, also called Gando, is a town and emirate in Kebbi State, Nigeria. The seat of government for the emirate and district of this name is in Birnin Kebbi, which is the capital of Kebbi State and was capital of the historical Kingdom of Kebb ...

, Igbirra and

Katsina Katsina State ( ; 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞥁𞤭𞤲𞤢) is a state in the northwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered to the west by Zamfara State, to the east by Kano and Jigawa states, and to the south by Kaduna St ...

and five others nominated by the House of Assembly), six members from the

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: *Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provinc ...

(the

Ooni of Ife The Ooni of Ile-Ife (Ọọ̀ni of Ilè-Ifẹ̀) is the traditional ruler of Ifẹ, Ilé-Ifẹ̀. The Ooni dynasty existed before the reign of Oduduwa which historians have argued to have been between the 7th-9th centuries A.D. After the de ...

, the

Oba of Benin The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people. The then Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Daho ...

and four others nominated by the House of Assembly), five members from the Eastern Provinces (all nominated by the House of Assembly), one member from the

Colony of Lagos Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centred on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 under the threat of force by Commander Beddingfield of HMS ''Prometheus'' who was accompanied by th ...

and three members to represent otherwise unrepresented interests.Wheare, pp205–206

Campaign

Seven candidates contested the elections, five for the three Lagos seats and two for the Calabar seat. In Lagos the NNDP nominated the journalist

Nnamdi Azikiwe Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, (16 November 1904 – 11 May 1996), commonly referred to as Zik of Africa, was a Nigerian politician, statesman, and revolutionary leader who served as the 3rd and first black governor-general of Nigeria from 1960 ...

, barrister

Adeleke Adedoyin Adélékè is both a surname and a given name of Yoruba origin, meaning "the crown/royalty triumphs" (a compound of "crown, royalty" and "triumph"). It may be shortened to Lékè. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Adeleke Ad ...

and sitting Council member

Abubakar Olorun-Nimbe Abubakar Ibiyinka Olorun-Nimbe (1908–1975) was a Nigerian medical doctor and politician who was the first Mayor of Lagos. He represented Lagos in the Legislative Council. Early life and career Olorun-Nimbe was born in Lagos to the family of Abd ...

, whilst F. O. Coker and

Ernest Ikoli Ernest Sissei Ikoli (1893–1960) was a Nigerian politician, nationalist and pioneering journalist. He was the first editor of the Daily Times, the president of the Nigerian Youth Movement, and in 1942, represented Lagos in the Legislative Council ...

(also a Council member) ran as independents. However, Ikoli withdrew his candidacy prior to election day.Tamuno, p127 In Calabar the seat was contested by the incumbent

Okon Efiong Okon is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: *Paul Okon, Australian footballer *Akpan Okon, 17th century African king *Kakpokpo Okon, 17th century African prince *Effiong Okon Effiong Okon (born 22 ...

and E. E. E. Anwan, both of whom ran as independents.

Results

By constituency

References

{{Nigerian elections Parliamentary elections in Nigeria

1947 in Nigeria 1947 elections in the British Empire Election and referendum articles with incomplete results